The Interpreter Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 So, how's that working out? I'd think impulse playing would be waaay down. Is it? Terp -- who is tempted to go to, say, Dorney Park, and waltz up to game attendant after game attendant, cash in hand, and, when directed to the card machine, sashay off. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP Maverick Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 I very rarely play games at parks, and definitely wouldn't go out of my way to get a special card to pay for them. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 It has cut down on my game playing significantly. Previously I wouldn't really think about the money I spent on a game. Now I think do I really want to spend money and more so after losing im willing to quit quicker Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerNut Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Forgive me but is this chain wide now? I got one almost as good, my 8-year old has $2 she is saving for a Carowinds trip next week....$2 dollars won't buy a game card. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freaks76 Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 ^ I think so. Pretty sure. I can say, at KI it has not affected my game playing at all. I can say I don't think I've ever played one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TombRaiderFTW Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 I tried out the new system. Last night was one of those every-once-in-a-while times when I feel like playing games in the arcades. I feel like the point of alternative paying systems for arcades and amusement park games is to make you as unaware as possible that you are spending money. For instance, I might not want to pay $1 for that game, but I might not feel as opposed to spending two tokens (even if their value is the equivalent of $1.) And while I might not want to reach into my pocket for $1 to try again if I lose, another two tokens might not feel like I'm spending more money. This system is very transparent about the financial price to play everything. You put $5 on a card at the kiosk. Skeeball costs 50¢. You swipe your card through the card reader on the skeeball machine, and it informs you that you have $4.50 left on your card. It's very... enlightening. Your card can be refilled at the kiosk. One other thing I don't think I've read around here: in place of physical tickets, games now reward you with points that are put on your card. The card reader on each game will tell you how many tickets each game awards you. You can check your point total on the kiosk that you get your card from. All the prizes are listed with their point requirements. It's an odd system to me. I suppose it works well enough for what it is. I'm just not sure where the benefit is over the token and ticket system that had been around forever, except that the same credit that people put towards arcade games can now be used for the Coney Mall games, etc. But you're also basically eliminating the ability for people to impulsively drop $2 on Bank-A-Ball and other games. And when people use the system, they're very aware of the money they're spending. In a world where places like Waldameer operate literally everything on a point system (only 4.5 points for Ravine Flyer II! Only 3 points for pizza!), this feels like an odd switch, like the card system people paid the park to switch to their weird financial transparency-oriented card system. Also of note: the cards aren't usable at the White Water Canyon geysers, which still firmly accept quarters only. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohioparksrock Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Forgive me but is this chain wide now? I got one almost as good, my 8-year old has $2 she is saving for a Carowinds trip next week....$2 dollars won't buy a game card. They don't have them at Cedar Point. I'll be at Carowinds next Saturday so I can check then. At KI, there js no actual cost for the card. You load $5, you get $5. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohioparksrock Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 I will say that we used to be a once a week ring toss playing family. We have only played it once this year and there is rarely anyone playing it. It's not a painful process to load the card and I think it's a better system then letting teens have cash but we just haven't used it much. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldiesmann Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 It hasn't really affected my game playing habits. I never do the midway games and only occasionally play arcade games (typically Skee-Ball or Ice Ball). I loaded up a card with $5 and played a few arcade games. I do agree that the point system is a bit annoying, though it does save the park money and might encourage people to play more since there aren't any tickets or receipts to lose/keep track of. It does take some of the fun out of it though - especially with most of the games still saying that you get tickets from them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freaks76 Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 ^ I think so. Pretty sure. I can say, at KI it has not affected my game playing at all. I can say I don't think I've ever played one. I take that back. I played the crap out of the wheel game by Diamondback. Got pretty good at it. Then they changed it. Haven't played it since. I usually gave the coupons out to people(mostly kids) standing around the game. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magenta Lizard Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 I found a Kings Dominion games card on the ground (which, when I checked it at the kiosk later, showed someone had loaded a dollar onto it and spent it, both at Kings Island), so at the very least they seem to have implemented it. I have mixed feelings about the cards still. It is nice not feeling obligated to carry large numbers of tokens with me. On the other hand, the reason I carried tokens rather than cash was because the change machines gave bonus tokens when you bought more at once. There are no bonuses for putting more onto a card, so I usually keep less on it than I used to carry in tokens. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrill_Biscuit Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 I find these new systems to be cheesy. For example at Dave & Busters games are charged 3.8 credits or something like that so that your mind is disconnected from the cost, the trick modern casinos are using with so-called penny slots. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 18, 2016 Author Share Posted June 18, 2016 Is cheesy the new sleazy? Terp -- old fogey. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PyroKinesis Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Forgive me but is this chain wide now? I got one almost as good, my 8-year old has $2 she is saving for a Carowinds trip next week....$2 dollars won't buy a game card. $2 won't buy a lollipop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 My game play has gone UP, actually. I basically never carry cash. At all. By doing these kiosks and allowing me to buy gameplay with a credit/debit card, I actually CAN play games from time to time. Do I play a lot? No, not at all. But I have actually played some midway games this year, which is alone an increase from years past. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveTheSmurfRide Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 I usually would impulsively try a game as I walk by but for some reason, probably a psychological side effect brought on by the divorce of my parents, ingesting lead paint, and past school bullying; I just can't bring my self to take those extra steps to get a game card. Just ain't gonna happen. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Forgive me but is this chain wide now? I got one almost as good, my 8-year old has $2 she is saving for a Carowinds trip next week....$2 dollars won't buy a game card. Your kid doesn't happen to be a newspaper deliverer by chance? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKIVortex Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Omg it takes like a second to get a card. I didn't play games as much in the past as I've had this year. The ability of being able to add money with a debit card is quick and easy. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerNut Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Forgive me but is this chain wide now? I got one almost as good, my 8-year old has $2 she is saving for a Carowinds trip next week....$2 dollars won't buy a game card. Your kid doesn't happen to be a newspaper deliverer by chance? No, but it might teach her somethings. She got the $2 for passing second grade from her great grandparents. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Carowinds takes cash and coin for their games - card is not is use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerNut Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Thank you, that helps me a lot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KI Guy Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 So, how's that working out? I'd think impulse playing would be waaay down. Is it? Terp -- who is tempted to go to, say, Dorney Park, and waltz up to game attendant after game attendant, cash in hand, and, when directed to the card machine, sashay off. I'm glad you brought this up. I see what they're trying to do; It's like Dave & Buster's. Keeping the cash in one location is more secure. Guests spend the money up front and play the games almost forgetting that they spent the money in the first place. Unspent card credits are pure profit. HOWEVER, Kings Island is not Dave & Buster's. Most do not set out to play 20 or 40 dollars worth of games when they go through the gate. Games are an impulse buy to most people.They say "Oooh I'd like to win that emoji pillow or that XBOX One." I can imagine many will go to pay for the game only to be be directed to the card charging station. Many, I'm sure, balk right then, and don't even go up to the card charging again. Some probably look at it for a second and think better of it. If they actually do charge their cards and they run out of credit trying to win a prize, how many will bother to charge the card again? They have another chance to balk. As a business school grad and practitioner of common sense, I SEVERELY question this business model.The park should allow guests to pay with the game cards or cash or credit. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 19, 2016 Author Share Posted June 19, 2016 Not to mention unspent card balances may be seen by the State of Ohio as unclaimed property and may, by law, escheat to the State. Such FUN. Terp, who is not engaged in the private practice of law in the State of Ohio, District of Columbia or any United State. There is no legal advice meant for a particular client herein, nor is an attorney/client relationship created by the reading of this or any other of the poster's posts. Consult a competent attorney in the appropriate jurisdiction if you have, or think you may have, a legal problem. This is a disclaimer. Results obtained may vary depending on skill, effort, frequency and happenstance. -30- 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveTheSmurfRide Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Omg it takes like a second to get a card. I didn't play games as much in the past as I've had this year. The ability of being able to add money with a debit card is quick and easy. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk It's even easier for me to swipe my credit card right at the game. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 19, 2016 Author Share Posted June 19, 2016 I'm sure there are those right at the game who would be more than happy to swipe your credit card. Terp -- running for the front gate. boom 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ding Dong Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 SFSTL had wristbands you could load money on for whatever you wanted and I thought that was a great program but we never used it. I buy the meal plans and all season drink cups and am then done except for ice cream. Broke my boys of the game envy a few years ago. Sure I will give you money for a couple of games, but I won't have any money to buy ice cream later. I have occasionally given them a few dollars for skeeball. They are smart enough not to blow their OWN money on a ring toss. As far as arcade games go, they know their money is much better spent on Steam or Humble Bundle sales especially since Dad has a sickness and likes to build really powerful computers. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 19, 2016 Author Share Posted June 19, 2016 "The biggest difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys." Terp -- cross-threadin' 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 We used to let the kids play one or two games each visit prior to the card system. We no longer bother with it. I'm not going to go to the card machine, put in the cash that I already have in my hand, only to let the kids go over and spend 50 cents on a game of Bowler Roller. Seems like some people would love the option, but to refuse cash completely seems like it would hurt in the long run. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryoj Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 The other night we were there. Wife wanted a giant pink monkey. Machine at the game was out of cards. game person directed me to Machine across the way. The line was 10 people deep and the first one in line appeared to not understand the concept of how to make the machine work. Wife said screw waiting, and we left. If the game accepted cash instead of cards, I probably would have spent $40 not winning that monkey. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 They could do what Disney does.... Link the season pass card to your credit card and allow the season pass to be used at the games... For daily guests or season pass owners who don't want a credit card on file then the card readers would be fine Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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